well, I’m not quite sure I agree with walking walking… it is true that some hikers are along for the party… but don’t we all say “hike your own hike”? I’ve put 5,000 plus miles on the trail in four years and I also have long hair, even hiked with dreadlocks in 2000, and I also like the Dead… does that make me a trail head? I also did a lot of trail angel stuff when I briefly lived in Damascus… so what am I? I have also seen a lot of people who didn’t like the dead and/or partying do damage to the trail community… what does that make them? My point is stop generalizing about people… the trail is a wonderful and beautiful place that is a microism of the real world… I would say 97% of people on the trail, whether they be hippies, old people, retirees, conservative, liberal, green party, partying after smoking some green, etc are great people and care about the trail… The trail is hurt by a lot of things… chemical fallout from midwestern power plants, disease caused by global warming that increase parasites, the amc, by the very fact that the trail is so close to so many large populations… hey, who gives a cr*p if people look to find respite from the corruptions of the dollar worshiping world by walking north and hitting a few pubs along the way… I think that is great… I adore people who “party” like that… it sure beats the crap out of corporate executives and ignorant presidents who like partying by drilling in ANWR or taking that stack of gold over the planet… I guess I just find kinship with those who choose to live in the woods…
ASWAH
p.s go and see an inconvient truth… awesome movie… should be mandatory… if we as a people continue to live life as if nothing we do has a consequence than soon there will be NO AT to argue and disagree about…
PEACE and LOVE… your brother ASWAH
aswah